'Sesame Street' was based in a real place. So, of course, when I got onto 'Sesame Street,' I said, oh, my goodness, I became what I needed to see myself when I was growing up as a kid. I loved the stories on television, but I never saw anybody who looked like me or lived in a place like the place I lived in, and I always wondered - I was worried what I was going to contribute to a society that didn't see me. I was born in Bellevue Hospital and raised in the Bronx, and I watched a lot of television in the mid-50s. Tell me about why that was important to include. Some of those reasons can be to do with their identity, and there's a lot of Latin culture and music in the show. GARCIA-NAVARRO: I mean, when you talk about kids feeling invisible, there's a lot of different reasons for that.

The way you view the world is your own way, and it's just as valid as the way anybody else views the world. So basically and simply, this is telling kids, look.

So a lot of kids that maybe didn't speak English or were in a classroom that had 35 kids in it and couldn't answer the test questions were thinking they were less than anybody else. And they were confusing memorization with intelligence. I noticed a lot of kids these days were overwhelmed with information. MANZANO: Well, I hope that they start realizing that they have this power. GARCIA-NAVARRO: So how do you think young viewers will sort of react to these moments of reflection? SUMMER ROSE CASTILLO: (As Alma) Oh, forget it. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Right because she often has these step back, sort of think through moments where she takes time to process how something is making her feel, how it will influence her next steps. And I thought that would be a good thing to show children today - is that everybody has a mind, and they can all use it. MANZANO: Yes, I remembered my own childhood and how much I used to find refuge in my mind and how I escaped things that were bothering me. I understand her experiences are inspired by your own childhood. GARCIA-NAVARRO: So tell me about the character of Alma. The PBS kids show premieres tomorrow, and Sonia Manzano joins us now. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Sonia Manzano is now launching her own children's TV show, 'Alma's Way.' It's an animated series following 6-year-old Alma Rivera navigating everyday life with her friends and family in the Bronx. MANZANO: (As Maria) OK, now, which one of these should I read today? SPINNEY: (As Big Bird) Oh, yeah, I can't wait. MANZANO: (As Maria) Ready for your story? You might know her better as Maria, the character she played on 'Sesame Street' for 44 years.

Sonia manzano salary